Which player would you want taking the big shot out of that group?

Which player would you want taking the big shot out of that group?

Michael Jordan

47.7%

Stephen Curry

14.9%

Ray Allen

7.6%

Reggie Miller

7.5%

Kobe Bryant

22.3%

Total votes: 26,338

Granted, Curry didn't have free reign to choose any clutch shooter he wanted. But considering the list of names he was given to pick from—himself, Jordan, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller—it's hard to think he was left wanting for better options.

In case you were wondering, Curry did complete his ranking of that elite, coffin-closing group.

"Then you go Ray, then Reggie, then Kobe," he said. "Three-pointer or not, same answer."

With the talent involved in that question, Curry couldn't have given the wrong answer. And given his late-game body of work, he's been justifying that lofty self-placement.

But do the numbers agree with his assessment? They're not exactly arguing against it.

Curry's been the seventh-best shooter of the 25 players who have attempted at least 20 shots in clutch—final five minutes of a five-point game—situations this season. Some of the names in front of him might be a little surprising.

Kings of Clutch

FGM

FGA

FG%

Damian Lillard

11

22

50.0

Dirk Nowitzki

15

31

48.4

Ryan Anderson

10

21

47.6

DeMarcus Cousins

10

21

47.6

Jamal Crawford

9

20

45.0

Evan Turner

13

29

44.8

Stephen Curry

12

27

44.4

NBA.com

For reference, Ray Allen has taken just three such shots for the Miami Heat this season. He's misfired on two of the three. Bryant hasn't attempted any yet. Then again he's just two games and 57 minutes into his return from the torn Achilles that ended his 2012-13 campaign; he'll get his chances before too long.

Like all of these elite scorers, Curry's been called a lot of things over the course of his career. As he continues taking and making these game-clinching shots, the word "clutch" keeps popping up in those descriptions: